National Historic Landmark

Bowen, Anthony, YMCA

Washington, District of Columbia County, District of Columbia
Listed
October 2, 1983
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
83003523

About this property

Twelfth Street YMCA Building, also known as Anthony Bowen YMCA, was home to the first African American chapter of YMCA, founded in 1853 by Anthony Bowen. It is located at 1816 12th Street NW in the U Street Corridor (Cardozo/Shaw) neighborhood of Washington, D.C. The building was reopened on February 20, 2000, as the Thurgood Marshall Center in honor of the first African American Associate Justice to serve on the United States Supreme Court. The Thurgood Marshall Center now serves as a community center for residents of the U Street Corridor and Shaw neighborhoods. The permanent organization of Phi Beta Sigma fraternity was established in the Bowen Room. Completed in 1912, the Renaissance Revival building was designed by William Sidney Pittman, one of the United States' first African American architects and a son-in-law of Booker T. Washington. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1994 and is a contributing property to the Greater U Street Historic District.

Location

1816 12th St. NW
Washington, District of Columbia County, District of Columbia
38.91490, -77.02847

Categories

BLACK
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Whitelaw Hotel
Civil War
0.1 mi
Frelinghuysen University, Former Classroom Building
Industrial
0.1 mi
True Reformer Building
Modern
0.1 mi
Greater U Street Historic District
Industrial
0.1 mi
Lincoln Theatre
Pre Contact
0.1 mi

Questions about this property

When was Bowen, Anthony, YMCA listed on the National Register?

Bowen, Anthony, YMCA was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 2, 1983.

What type of historic resource is Bowen, Anthony, YMCA?

Bowen, Anthony, YMCA is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

Is Bowen, Anthony, YMCA a National Historic Landmark?

Yes. Bowen, Anthony, YMCA has been designated a National Historic Landmark (NHL), the highest level of federal recognition for historic properties in the United States.

What is the period of significance for Bowen, Anthony, YMCA?

The period of significance for Bowen, Anthony, YMCA is recorded as the industrial era.

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